*shua*
Calron’s eyes abruptly opened as he gazed at the familiar forest around him.
He saw that both his Master and Fatty were just gaping at him, and remained stunned in their places.
“Ugh…Fatty, what happened?”
Calron let out a groan of pain, as he slowly got up from the ground.
From the moment Calron had been inside the source pool, he had no idea about what had occurred outside, including the fact that his secret was revealed long ago.
Realizing that Calron was asking him a question, Fatty got out of his daze, and rushed towards Calron.
“Wah, big brother! You scared Master and me when you suddenly started screaming like a little girl!”
Seeing that Calron was alright and back to normal, Fatty felt his heart at ease, and started to jokingly poke fun at Calron.
“You punk! Do you want me to give you a thrashing again?”
Calron teased as he playfully punched Fatty on the shoulder.
Noticing that Elias still had his eyes in a daze, Calron softly whispered into Fatty’s ear.
“Oi Fatty, why is Master so shocked? His eyes also seem a bit unfocused…”
Hearing Calron’s question, Fatty casually responded.
“Ah, I don’t know, he’s been like that ever since that blue stuff started crackling around you. By the way, big brother what is that strange blue lightning, it tried to attack both me and Master when we approached you.”
As Fatty chattered obliviously, Calron felt his heart pounding violently against his chest when the heard Fatty mention the Azure Lightning.
*thump*
*thump* * thump*
It seemed as if all the sounds in the world had been muted except for his pounding heartbeat. A surge of blood rushed towards Calron’s brain, as he felt himself breathing harder and harder by the second.
At this moment, Calron was going through a panic attack!
He did not know what to do, as the Azure Lightning was his greatest secret and now that it had been revealed, he did not know how his future would pan out.
Calron’s mental fort.i.tude had been getting stronger by the day due to both his cultivation and training. However, faced with the current panic he felt, all those mental barriers came crashing down, simply leaving behind an anxious eight year old boy.
“Huh? Big brother, are you alright?”
Seeing Calron suddenly tense up, Fatty worriedly shook him out of his daze.
In Fatty’s mind, the Azure Lightning was just something that exuded a powerful essence and seemed a bit different than normal lightning, but he did not understand the future implications of the discovery of such a unique element.
“Master…”
As Calron forcibly calmed his racing heart, he softly called out to Elias. His main priority right now was to explain the situation to his Master.
Hearing the voice of his disciple, Elias turned his head towards the source of the voice and abruptly got up on his feet once he realized that it was Calron.
Immediately, he rushed towards Calron and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders.
“Calron, my child… is this what you have been hiding from me?”
Uncontrollably, tears started to form in Calron’s eyes as he looked at the gentle expression on his Master’s face. This was the first time he had cried since the Voice left him, but with all his mental barriers down, he simply felt like the eight year kid he was.
“Seeing as you were so careful in keeping that secret, I a.s.sume you know what the presence of that element means?”
Elias continued in a gentle tone.
Watching his disciple in such an emotional state, Elias comforted Calron by slowly patting his head. Elias knew that Calron had awakened to his element after his parent’s death, so until now, Calron had probably been alone and not able to share his secret with anyone. That burden was enormous for any grown man, let alone a child who had yet to reach his tenth year!
*sniff*
“Yes, Master. I know that I must not reveal it to others.”
Calron softly responded.
Seeing that his Master was calm and collected, Calron started to steadily regain his composure.
Calron had initially not wanted to reveal the existence of the Azure Lightning to Elias, as the Voice had told him not to divulge it to anyone, and since his cultivation Teacher was not present, Calron did not want to do anything without the Voice’s approval.
Realizing that there was nothing else he could do to remedy the situation at hand, Calron decided to no longer hide the Azure Lightning from his Master.
“No, my child. I meant do you know what that Lightning is?”
Seeing the confused look on Calron’s face, Elias continued.
“There are some heavenly elements in this world which awaken to children with special bloodlines when they turn eight years of age. I don’t know much about those unique elements, but one thing is for sure, that they are all a domineering power under the heavens!”
Hearing the explanation from Elias, Calron was stunned.
He knew that the Azure Lightning was special, but other then that, he had almost no knowledge about why the lightning chose him or even what it was. However, from Elias’s words, it appeared as if it was due to his bloodline, so that meant that it had to have come from within his family!
“Master, my father was also a fourth rank lightning elementalist, but he did not have the Azure Lightning. Why did I awaken to it?”
Calron curiously asked Elias. His father was the only one in his family that had the lightning element, but he never showed any signs of having a blue lightning.
“I don’t know, Calron. Even in those exalted clans and sects, they might go on for centuries until another child in their family awakens to their bloodline’s unique element. Your ancestors must have once been very powerful, as the Azure Lightning seems to be an element belonging to the special bloodlines.”
Meanwhile, Fatty was at the side listening in on their discussion, as he quietly muttered to himself.
“That blue stuff is that amazing? No wonder big brother was so afraid of others finding out.”
Right then, Fatty rushed towards Calron and grabbed his hand.
“Big brother, no need to worry, even if someone comes looking for you in future, I will take your secret to the grave with me.”
Fatty sincerely proclaimed.
Seeing the expression on Fatty’s face, Calron knew that this was one of the rare moments that Fatty was completely serious, and he felt glad for having a brother like him.
Even if they were not related by blood, for someone who would unquestionably risk their life for another, Calron would gladly call them his brother!
The boy in front of Calron was no longer the same as the one he had once met with a sniveling nose and tears running down his plump face. There was no chubbiness in the boy, and even calling him ‘Fatty’ seemed like a joke, as the current Roran was extremely muscular for an eight year old!
However, to Calron, Fatty was still Fatty. He might have changed in physical appearance, but Fatty’s mannerisms and mischievous personality could never be taken away.
Grabbing Fatty’s hand with his own, Calron smiled as he gazed at his brother.
“Thank you, Fatty.”
The two boys felt an invisible bond tying their fates even closer together as a strong brotherhood was born from that day forth.
Seeing the two boys being chummy with each other, Elias felt his heart warm at the scene in front of him. It made him think of his own brother, Solin. Although Elias had an elder brother by blood, the relationship he had with Solin during his childhood was much deeper than that of any family he had!
Knowing that if he pondered more on his past, his mood would turn somber, Elias slightly coughed as he tried to get the two boys’ attention.
“By the way, Calron, what happened in the source pool?”
Elias suddenly asked in a serious tone.
Elias knew it had something to do with the third layer, as he felt the giant’s energy, but then that would mean that Calron had already broken the second seal, and tried to break the third one as well!
Although the former was a bit surprising, it was the latter that was inconceivable if it were indeed true.
“Uh, you see… I tried to…”
Calron stumbled over his words as he tried to explain, but did not know how to explain everything he saw, as he himself was confused by the events that took place there. Everything had been out of his control, as the Azure Lightning acted on its own and charged into the third seal.
However, Calron did not want to hide anything about the Azure Lightning from Elias, so he started explaining from the beginning on how he accidentally provoked the second seal and the Azure Lightning abruptly rushed out to help him, while destroying the second seal in the process.
Elias had a stunned expression on his face, but he let Calron continue his tale.
Just as Calron was in the middle of explaining when the Azure Lightning absorbed the source energy, Elias felt his hands starting to tremble, however, it was only when Calron finally disclosed the battle between the two beasts, that Elias felt his heart furiously thumping against his chest!
An element that could take the shape of a living beast? Impossible! Essence by itself was something that existed separate from everything else, as even the heavens were subject to it!
“…so after the giant exploded, the blood-red lightning returned back to normal, and I could finally leave the source pool!”
Calron exhaled as he finished his story.
“Calron, do you know what the third layer of the Blood Arts is?”
Elias asked in a low somber voice.
As his Master spoke those words, the atmosphere suddenly turned a bit heavy. The sounds of birds chirping, the howling of the wind and even the critters of the insects seemed to fade away, as if the world waited for the next words of this blind old man.
Calron and Fatty both felt the changes in the surroundings, and unknowingly felt their heartbeat slow down.
“The third layer is special, Calron. It’s not a technique or a skill.”
Every word of Elias seemed to contain an ethereal feeling to it.
A slow and gentle breeze flowed around Elias, as he spoke his next and final words.
“It is a Domain, known as the t.i.tan’s Fury!”